With the proliferation of networked computer systems there has been a corresponding evolution of remote ordering, also called “computerized ordering”. The remote ordering also includes remote identifying of suppliers and/or products to be ordered, and may be a base for different shopping modes, for example on-line shopping, physical shopping, on-line ordering and physical pickup, etc. However, the progress of remote ordering in some segments (e.g. Supermarket, Food and Grocery (SFG), semiconductor components, building materials, drug stores, etc.) is far slower than in other segments. Typically, computerized ordering in SFG and similar markets includes ordering multiple items from multiple vendors. This problem has been recognized in prior art and various systems have been developed to provide a solution, for example:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,542 (King) discloses a system facilitating a user in electronically ordering items from suppliers. The system is comprised of an Electronic Catalogue and an Electronic Requisition facility. The Electronic Catalogue includes a Public Catalog and a Private Catalogue. The Public Catalog is stored on a publicly available database for access by customers/requestors. The Private Catalogue is resident on a Customer's computer system and may contain unique pricing data based on pricing agreements. The Electronic Requisition facility is used by the customers/requestors to electronically create purchase requisitions based upon the information provided in the catalogues and route the requisitions through the appropriate approval process within the enterprise. Requisitions are then processed through the customer's procurement system and transmitted electronically as purchase orders to suppliers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,444 (Danish et al.) discloses a process for identifying a single item from a family of items by presenting a user with a feature screen having a series of groupings. Each grouping represents a feature having a set of alternatives from which to select. Selected alternatives are used as selection criteria in a search operation. A result of the search operation is a revised feature screen indicating alternatives that remain available to the user for further selection and searching. The feature screen and search process, therefore, presents the user with a guided non-hierarchical parametric search to identify matching items based upon user-specified criteria and priorities. Also disclosed is an adaptation of the claimed method and system appropriate in an Internet environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,401 (Joseph) discloses an apparatus that displays alternative items for items that are out of stock in a store or the like. A request for an item is entered into a sales computer. The computer determines from a database whether the requested item is available. If the item is unavailable, the computer determines alternative items that are available for sale. These available alternative items are interactively displayed for the customer. The alternative items are determined from an alternative item database wherein each item is categorized with alternative items. A mass data storage device stores an image of each alternative item. A method of determining and displaying alternative items includes the steps of: inputting a request for an item; determining the availability of the requested item and alternative items for the requested item if it is unavailable; and interactively displaying the alternative items.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,606,603 (Alkin et al.) discloses a system for electronically ordering items having at least one supplier computer system for storing at least one catalog containing the items offered by a supplier and a customer computer system with the improvement of a public computer system comprising an index to the items in the catalogs on the at least one supplier computer system, means for querying the index on the public computer system for a desired item in response to a request for the desired item from the customer computer system and means for generating a pointer for the customer computer system to catalog information about the desired item in the catalog on the at least one supplier system which has been identified by the query of the index.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,873,968 (Ehrlich et al.) discloses a price comparison and adjustment system which can be used in the context of an Internet environment. The system comprises a server based browser, a shopping cart manager, an extraction and verification module, a validation module, and a counter offer module. The system provides an Internet shopper with a convenient method for comparison shopping online while allowing the shopper control over the comparison-shopping search, which also enables a host merchant to counter-offer prices at rival merchants' web sites. The system also provides information about rival merchants to the host merchant, which allows the host merchant to develop an optimal pricing and counter-offer strategy. The system creates a portable virtual shopping cart that allows the Internet user to browse rival merchants without the appearance of leaving the host merchant's web site, and further allows the shopper to quickly return to the host merchant's web site to purchase items in the virtual shopping cart.
US Patent Application 2002/178,014 (Alexander) discloses a method and system for providing online comparison shopping. The system provides online comparison shopping through a designated website accessible by a user via a communication network such as the Internet. The method includes the steps of compiling a shopping list identifying specific items to be purchased, receiving optimization criteria specified by the user, optimizing, by the system, the shopping list based on the optimization criteria to produce an optimal shopping order, and displaying the optimal shopping order to the user if the optimal shopping order exists.
US Patent Application 2003/4,831 (Owens) discloses a method and system for interactively shopping for groceries, especially on an Internet web site, where the user may create a shopping list, shop for items from the list at a selected grocery store, arrange for pick up or delivery of the selected items and payment, or to download the list to a PDA or for printing with the store's layout for use in the store. Shopping lists may be created from a single input screen using standard language text; and products may be automatically suggested to the user based on best regular price or retailer's specials. Recipes may be altered to meet numbers of servings or dietary requirements and changes stored for future use.
US Patent Application 2003/177,072 (Bared) discloses an Internet-based grocery ordering system and method for providing drive-through customer pick-up of grocery orders at multiple remote locations as selected by the customer. The system integrates front-end customer friendly drive-through markets with an online order management system and delivery of groceries from fulfillment centers to drive-through markets at locations designed by the ordering customer. The system includes consolidated purchasing, customized electronic ordering and cost effective logistics management software.
US patent Application 2004/19,536 (Ashkenazi et al.) discloses a system and method for facilitating online comparison shopping, including a similarity engine, a navigational system, and a step skipping system. The system and method according to the invention include a method for determining similarity between two preferably disparate products. The system and method also preferably include a method of increasing efficiency of navigation in a comparison shopping site based on product coverage and product entropy. The system and method further include a method of step-skipping to quicken user navigation through a comparison shopping site.
US Patent Application 2004/34,571 (Ferman et al.) discloses a network-based ordering system comprising one or more client devices connected to a server through a network, each client device operated by a user; one or more merchant devices connected to the server through a network, each merchant device associated with one or more merchants; a memory in which is stored a merchant product database, the database including a plurality of product data items representing products available from each merchant; a display configured to display to a user information identifying one or more product data items in the memory; a request processor configured to receive a user order from a user for one or more product data items; a dispatcher configured to receive the user order from the request processor, to transmit the user order to a delivery agent for delivery of the ordered goods to the user; and an inventory manager configured to receive a user order from the dispatcher and to update the merchant product database.
US Patent Application 2004/117,276 (Kettler) discloses an online list generation process including a product database having a product list that itemizes products offered for sale by a merchant. A user interface allows a potential customer to access the product database and retrieve at least a portion of the product list. A user selection process enables the potential customer to select one or more of the individual products itemized in the retrieved portion of the product list. A shopping list is generated that itemizes the individual products that the potential customer intends to pick up from the merchant's place of business.
US Application 2004/249,723 (Mayer) discloses a system for automatic optimization of orders of multiple items from multiple sources, which takes into account at least the item prices and the shipment prices, and generates at least one acceptable or near-optimal offer, comprising a) at least one server capable of searching multiple vendor sites for prices and other relevant data or capable of obtaining the results from one or more such servers; or a program running on the user's computer, capable of searching multiple vendors sites for prices and other relevant data or capable of obtaining the results from one or more said servers; b) a server capable of executing the computations needed for finding said at least one acceptable offer or a server capable of using at least partially the computation power of the user's own computer for executing said computations; or a program on the user's computer capable of executing said optimizations.
International Application WO004/3,850 discloses a searchable database comprising a multiplicity of tables including an attributes table and a values table for a multiplicity of target search items constructed and arranged so that selection of values for one or more target search item attributes, yields an attribute-value construct specifying a particular one of said target search items and precluding an indeterminate search result. Such a database may be employed in an online comparison shopping system comprising a database containing product information of multiple vendors, manufacturers and/or products and a user interface generating a virtual shopping cart, and constructed and arranged to enable a user to selectively aggregate an order in said virtual shopping cart, comprising products represented in said database, and means for electronically disaggregating said order to generate vendor-specific orders to respective vendors.